Lord Adonis: The Government value the contribution made by the thousands of private voluntary and independent (PVI) providers in delivering high quality, flexible early education and childcare. A thriving PVI sector is vital to the Government's long-term aims to deliver flexible, integrated services for children and families, promoting choice and diversity.
	PVI sector providers will continue to play a significant part in delivering the commitments set out in the Government's 10-year childcare strategy to progressively increase and deliver more flexibly the existing free entitlement for three and four year-olds.
	As a first step, from April 2006, the minimum free entitlement will be increased to 38 weeks in all settings. This will secure a level playing field between maintained and PVI providers, ensuring, for the first time, that all children receive the same entitlement regardless of the setting their parents chose. Additional funding is being made available to all local authorities to ensure that PVI providers are funded to deliver the increased offer. This levelling of the playing field should act to decrease any advantages it may be felt that schools hold over other providers.

Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What lessons they have learned from the measures taken in the United States by the Agricultural Bioterrorism Act 2002; and whether they are contemplating taking any of the powers and precautions provided by that Act.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 contains measures to improve the security of dangerous substances that may be targeted or used by terrorists. Schedule 5 of that Act lists those pathogens and toxins that potentially pose the greatest risk to human life if misused by terrorists. These substances are subject to the controls set out in the Act. The provisions set out in Part 7 of the ATCS Act place an obligation on managers of laboratories and other premises holding stocks of specified disease causing pathogens and toxins to notify their holdings and to comply with any reasonable security requirements which the police may impose. The provisions within counter-terrorism legislation are kept under constant review.

Lord Warner: A survey in 2003–04 showed that in the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, the average number of primary or deciduous teeth extracted due to decay for five year-olds was 0.17. The figures for each primary care trust (PCT) are as follows.
	
		
			  
			 Craven, Harrogate and Rural 0.13 
			 East Yorkshire 0.18 
			 Eastern Hull 0.23 
			 Hambleton and Richmondshire 0.13 
			 North-east Lincolnshire 0.31 
			 North Lincolnshire 0.16 
			 Scarborough, Whitby andRyedale 0.13 
			 Selby and York 0.11 
			 West Hull 0.16 
			 Yorkshire Wolds and Coast 0.21 
		
	
	The figure for England during the same period was 0.20.
	A survey in the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA area for 14 year-olds showed that the average number of permanent or second teeth extracted due to decay was 0.10. The figures for each PCT are as follows.
	
		
			  
			 Craven, Harrogate and Rural 0.04 
			 East Yorkshire 0.10 
			 Eastern Hull 0.13 
			 Hambleton and Richmondshire 0.10 
			 North East Lincolnshire 0.11 
			 North Lincolnshire 0.09 
			 Scarborough, Whitby andRyedale 0.05 
			 Selby and York 0.11 
			 West Hull 0.16 
			 Yorkshire Wolds and Coast 0.09 
		
	
	The figure for England during the same period was 0.09.

Department for Constitutional Affairs: Information Security

Lord Drayson: In order to provide the information requested by the noble Lord, over 250 cases would need individually examining in order to establish the number and amount of payments made so far in respect of illnesses contracted by troops involved in the 2003 Gulf conflict.
	The figures used in the Written Answer on 3 November (WA 45) are based on the broad assumption that each case would involve at least 15 minutes of Veterans Agency staff time at administrative officer level and applying the accepted rate of salary the overall cost of providing such information would be in excess of the allowable cost. In addition, costs would be incurred in retrieving and transporting the files.